Each year, thousands of small businesses close their doors — but yours doesn’t have to be one of them. In a competitive market, knowing who you’re up against is one of the smartest moves you can make. And you don’t even need a professional agency or a huge marketing budget to figure it out. Read further to discover quick, affordable ways to identify your brand market competition and become better than your competitors in business.
How to quickly identify brand competitors for your small business
Each year, 1 in 12 small businesses closes in the US. What’s more, over 33.6% of such businesses survive for a decade. This means that as a small business owner, you must do your best and come up with the most efficient competition marketing strategies to stay on the market for a while. Naturally, you need to identify who you’re competing with.
Who are my competitors in business? There are several ways to discover this quickly and easily without spending lots of money on research and market analysis.
Google Search your product or service
The key is to not simply google your brand’s name but instead search for your core offering like a potential customer would, using keywords and phrases people might type — for instance, “handmade soy candles near me.” Pay attention to the top results (both organic and ads), as they’re likely your direct competitors.
Check marketplaces and social media
Use hashtags related to your niche on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest. If you sell products, remember to check Etsy, Amazon, or local marketplaces. Pay attention to the brands and names that pop up regularly, have strong engagement, and sell similar items.
Look at local competitors
You can do this by checking Google Maps/local listings (if this is relevant for your brand). You can also explore Yelp, TripAdvisor (for food/hospitality), or niche directories in your industry.
Ask your customers or community
You might ask them who else they are considering before buying from your brand. You can also opt for a more subtle way, running a poll on Instagram stories asking which brands people love in your category.
Use free online tools
There are many of them, each one serving a specific purpose. For instance, SimilarWeb allows you to see traffic and competitors of bigger brands in your niche. Tools like Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner help you discover who ranks for your keywords. And Meta Ad Library helps search your niche and see who’s advertising similar products.
After you’ve done your research, make sure to categorize your competitors. There will most likely be three categories of them:
- Direct competitors. They offer the same product for the same audience.
- Indirect competitors. These offer different products but for the same audience (for instance, solving the same problem in a different way).
- Aspirational competitors. Bigger, more successful brands in your niche. While they aren’t direct competition to you yet, you can learn from them and use insights to grow your brand.
How to be better than competitors in business: 6 tips
Discovering your direct competition in marketing and on the market is just the first step of the process. The next one would be learning how to outshine them.
Here are some tips to help you with that.
1. Turn personal founder stories into emotional hooks
People love authenticity and connection, especially when they come from small brands and influencers — for instance, 64% percent of people in Australia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom said that an influencer’s authenticity is important to them. That’s why you can share your story and reasons for starting your small business, especially if they are powerful. You can weave this into packaging, your About page, or your Instagram Reels to become memorable far beyond product features.
2. Strive to create a micro-community
Marketing to people is quite easy. However, only a few brands try to build a space for these people (Discord, Facebook group, newsletter with a personal vibe). You can focus on shared values or aesthetics to connect with your consumers.
3. Use competitor’s weaknesses as your advantage
This could be incredibly powerful with small businesses when even one particular problem can cause customers to switch to another brand. To discover such weaknesses, study competitor reviews and complaints to figure out what customers dislike. This can be shipping delays, bland branding, or lack of transparency. You can use this information to build content around how you do it better — just avoid being petty.
4. Share, not only promote
Instead of engaging in promotional or competitive marketing, offer a more personalized approach to your audience. You can do this by sharing raw behind-the-scenes moments: failures, wins, packing orders, reworking a formula, and late-night hustle. This helps your business build trust and look real, not just another brand machine.
5. Offer useful tools or content assets
Create simple freebies for your audience: downloadable tools, checklists, or guides relevant to your niche. For instance, this can be a self-care planner, a mini eBook, or even a fun and engaging quiz. This will help you position your brand not just as a seller, but also as a guide.
6. Make your emails personalized
Even these days most brands send robotic emails with similar offers and similar business people photos. That’s why you can easily stand out by writing emails like letters to a friend and adding humor, opinions, and personality to them. For instance, these can be storytelling emails, value-packed tips, or funny “this totally failed” business updates.
To sum up
Identifying your competitors isn’t just a box to check. Instead, it’s the key to marketing smarter, not harder. But remember, it’s not just about knowing who they are — it’s about using that insight to become better than competitors in business, connect deeper, and build something truly memorable.
